Graduation Year

2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Psychological and Social Foundations

Major Professor

Tony Tan, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Chloe Lancaster, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Marylou Taylor, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Robert Dedrick, Ph.D.

Keywords

Assessment, Depression, Supervision, Working alliance

Abstract

The number of traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnoses continues to rise each year. Counseling is a critical factor in TBI treatment, and although numerous studies have investigated TBI outcomes, a paucity of researchers have studied professional counselors’ knowledge, comfort, and self-awareness when working with TBI clients. Due to the diversity of counselor caseloads, it is likely that counselors will serve clients with a dual diagnosis that includes TBI. These dual diagnoses include depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, psychosis, or another neurocognitive disorder. The purpose of this study was to explore counselors’ knowledge, comfort, and self-awareness when working with individuals with a TBI. I used a survey questionnaire to explore counselors’ knowledge, comfort, and self-awareness when working with individuals with a TBI. An expert panel (n = 6) followed the Polit and Beck framework for content validity to review the survey in two rounds. I conducted another a pilot study (n = 16) with the items after the expert panel completed all initial revisions. After the expert panel and the pilot study, professional counselors (n = 72) completed the Counselor Brain Injury Questionnaire (CBQ) to assess the three domains (Knowledge, α = .85; Comfort, α = .93; Self-Awareness, α = .66). Results showed that counselors scored the highest on self-awareness. I conducted three MANOVAs and found that those who received training through their employment scored higher in knowledge than those who received training through an in-service, seminar, or webinar. I did not find any other significant differences.

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